Artificial Bodies: MAPE Spring/Summer 2017

Alexander Cao

Helmed by Maike Peterson, new Berlin-based brand MAPE offers fashion a sociocritical perspective through its explorative themes and stalwart voice. Founded in 2016 and only two seasons in, MAPE has already begun to disseminate its own brand of minimalism inspired by architectural musings.

In its recent Spring/Summer 2017 collection titled, “Artificial Bodies,” Peterson portrays an illusion of the ideal modern woman through Bauhaus-era design. Embodying the modernist angles of the iconic German school, a circular motif runs throughout the collection as either a cut-out or part of the garment’s ovoid construction. Lending a mathematical quality to the label’s seasonal output, Peterson begins to display this ideal woman as formulaic and inorganic. The combination of functional, utilitarian fabrics used for outdoor equipment and fragile silks is another point of contradiction. Through the use of layering and transparent materials, presentation becomes a key aspect of the MAPE woman.

Peterson explains that this collection addresses a singular, internet hive-mind of what a woman should look like — an ideal vision of perfection. But this is a falsified glory. Embracing each individual’s unique identity is the catalyst towards a new and more authentic form of beauty.